WEST ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota State University Moorhead softball team dropped a pair of nonconference games to open the season, losing to Southwest Minnesota State 7-2 and Minnesota Crookston 6-5 in action at the West St. Paul Dome in West St. Paul, Minn.

"Obviously starting out 0-2 wasn't what we were looking for  but what went wrong is completely within our control," MSUM head coach Amanda Reckamp said. "We get a chance to bounce back tomorrow against SMSU and I know we will be hungry to perform up to our expectations."

Sophomore first baseman Ashley McCance was 2-for-3 with an RBI while redshirt freshman left fielder Samantha Gjerde and junior designated player Payton Gaber added doubles.
Freshman second baseman Ally Helgoe had an RBI.

Sophomore Becky Berth took the loss in the game, giving up six earned runs in 6.1 innings. She struck out four and walked two. Freshman Anna Lang pitched 0.2 innings and gave up an unearned run in her collegiate debut.

SMSU led early 1-0 but Helgoe drove in McCance, who had singled and moved to third on a Gjerde double, on a fielder's choice to tie the game.

The Dragons took the lead in the third as McCance's RBI single scored Gaber, who had doubled earlier in the inning.

SMSU would tie the game at 2-2 in the fourth and added three runs in the sixth and two in the seventh to make the final count 7-2.

The second game saw MSUM fall behind 6-0 but the Dragons battled back to within 6-5 before the rally fell short.  Freshman designated player/second baseman Kaiya Sundeen and senior second baseman Lexie Kennedy each went 2-for-3 with two RBI. Kennedy had a homer while Sundeen added a double. Senior shortstop Taylor Roddie went 1-for-4 with an RBI double. Gaber added another double while freshman outfielder Shay Weber and junior third baseman Emma Dummer had hits.

Gaber took the loss, giving up six runs (four earned) in two innings. Berth pitched well in relief, giving up no runs in four innings.

MSUM was down 6-0 when Kennedy hit a solo homer in the fifth to make it 6-1. In the sixth Sundeen ripped a two-run double while Kennedy and Roddie each had RBI hits to cut the lead to 6-5. MSUM had the tying run at third in both the sixth and seventh innings but was unable to get the run across.

"We had a lot of players in and out of the lineup and shifted players around to get back into the game against Crookston," Reckamp said. "Our depth proved to be a vital part of Team 45 today as we just about got our entire roster in that one game. Lexie stepped up for us off the bench which was great to see and Becky came in on the mound to keep the game within reach."

The Dragons are back in action on Wednesday. They will face Bemidji State at 9 a.m. and SMSU at 11 a.m.